The New York Rangers were locked into the No. 5 overall pick after failing to win both draft lotteries, and their second pick of the first round is now official based on the Conference Finals matchups. The Rangers knew they were getting the Dallas Stars pick based on the fact that they were eliminated, but they needed to see what would happen to other teams in the mix.
The Rangers were due to get the better of the pick between Dallas and Carolina to complete the K'Andre Miller trade, and with Miller and the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, that pick will be later on than Dallas.
The order of playoff teams eliminated early is determined by reverse order of regular season points, and we now know that New York will also be picking at No. 26 overall.
Names of note that could be available for the Rangers at No. 26
This is the time of year in which fans and analysts are putting the work in to finalize their mock drafts. It is hard to predict who will get selected this late in the first round, primarily because all it takes is one or two names up top to slide down the board before chaos ensues. That can lead to a chain reaction in which teams further back try to move up and steal a player that is sliding, and that can have a whole other reaction on the draft as a whole.
Tankathon is a great resource for understanding and following the draft process, and the name they have projected for the Rangers in this spot is forward Mathis Preston from the WHL. This past season he appeared in just 36 games finishing with 14 goals, 18 assists, and 32 points. He is 5'11" and 176 pounds, and before playing for the Vancouver Giants he skated with the Spokane Chiefs.
The Athletic had another name for the Rangers in this spot, and their projection was Simas Ignatavicius, a center from Genève-Servette. At 6'3" and 198 pounds, Ignatavicius certainly has the size the Rangers are trying to add down the middle.
He has limited experience as a prospect, and there's not a large enough sample to try and project out future impact. He was the 38th overall prospect in Elite Prospects' consolidated ranking, and this might be a bit early to take a player like him.
Rangers have other options
If there isn't a player that the Rangers feel is the best fit, they could always utilize the No. 26 overall pick as a trade piece. There's no telling whether or not the Rangers would want to bundle that pick with another asset to move up the draft board, whether it be up from No. 5 or to have a pick slightly after that. In any case, the Rangers have some flexibility to be aggressive since they already have No. 5 in their pocket, and the closer we get to the draft, the easier it will be to get a sense of what their approach is going to be.
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